Expect Trump to be held to his promises

A Donald J. Trump tidal wave has washed over the political landscape, leveling much of what was, and laying a foundation for something altogether new.

It's been a rough ride along the way.

We saw firsthand that presidential politics can be a nasty game.

The rhetoric between the two candidates in the race to the White House was unrivaled, and many are saying they're embarrassed by the level of discourse.

Some are discouraged by the results, an inevitable ending either way.

The campaign showed that both candidates had a profound ability to screw up.

Democratic nominee Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, at one point, referred to Trump supporters as "deplorables," a nickname they willingly embraced, wearing it as a badge of honor and a show of disdain for the former first lady.

Clinton also alienated many coal region voters with an anti-industry remark in Columbus: "We're going to put a lot of coal miners and coal companies out of business," she said during discussion of clean energy options. She quickly vowed to not forgot those affected, but damage was already done by the thoughtless remark.

Trump, however, made promises to make coal great again.

"There is a thing called clean coal. Coal will last for 1,000 years in this country," he said, promising to invest in coal-related jobs.

But President-elect Trump also exhibited plenty of snafus. There were so many gaffes from which to choose you can simply take your pick.

But the one thing that stood out was his strategy to make grandiose promises and play on people's fears and weaknesses.

Trump's campaign style was to deploy a divide-and-conquer tactic, a typical approach used to gain power. It apparently worked. Many saw truth in his message and were willing to overlook arrogance, financial secretiveness, emotional outbursts and what many see as misogyny, xenophobia and extreme narcissism.

But it's time to move forward.

The recording group The Byrds offered advice in "Turn! Turn! Turn!" with amessage borrowed from the Bible that there's a season and a time for every purpose under heaven.

"A time to build up, a time to break down, a time to dance, a time to mourn, a time to cast away stones."

And that's what needs to come next, to cast away stones and come together as one.

A president-elect has been chosen by the people and his challenges are daunting, largely, in part to his own campaign promises, some of which shook the very foundation of his own political party.

Will he build a wall and force Mexico to pay for it? Especially when Mexico already said it won't?

Will we see prompt deportation of 11 million illegal immigrants? When will that process begin and who will serve on the deportation force?

These are strong words, but they're in line with the promises that got Trump elected.

He also promised to abolish Obamacare and replace it with something new, an idea many embrace. Insurance premiums have put health insurance costs beyond people's reach. Insurers are dropping out of the insurance exchange and it's reducing purchase options for 2017. He also needs to address racial division, crime, a drug abuse epidemic, soaring national debt and the economy.

In his middle-of-the-night victory speech, Trump continued to make great promises for major advances in growth, renewal and infrastructure.

"We will double our growth and have the strongest economy anywhere in the world. We must reclaim our country's destiny. We will get along with other nations willing to get along with us. I want to tell the world community that while we will put our country's interests first, we will deal fairly with everyone."

But perhaps most of all, Trump - a candidate who built a campaign around words of hate and division - needs to find a way to bring the country together.

"I will not let you down. I will do a great job," he said early Wednesday.

The reality is that half of the voters wanted to elect somebody else. Actually, more than half. Clinton, apparently, won the popular vote, losing the election in the electoral process.

Clinton voters had a different vision for renewed greatness and prosperity. Their dreams came crashing down. But their desires are still there; their hopes haven't gone away.

Trump needs to find a way to pick them up and win them over. He will be, after all, their president, too. No, he can't be everything to everybody.

But he needs to try to do just that as soon as he takes office, if not before. He also needs to live up to some grandiose promises that convinced so many voters that he is the answer.

Expectations will be extraordinarily high.

By Donald R. Serfass | dserfass@tnonline.com